


catch me when i fall

by woodchoc_magnum



Series: love will find a way [5]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Eddie Diaz Week 2020 (9-1-1 TV), Established Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Found Family, Hurt Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Whump, Worried Firehouse 118 Crew (9-1-1 TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:34:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27540889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodchoc_magnum/pseuds/woodchoc_magnum
Summary: Day 5: “I’ve got you, Eddie” + h/cIn which Eddie's life is turned upside down, literally.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: love will find a way [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2005498
Comments: 43
Kudos: 384





	catch me when i fall

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warning - Eddie's parents are homophobic dicks.

The last thing on Eddie's mind as he walked across the pedestrian crossing in front of the 118, a tray of coffees in his hand and Hen by his side, was that anything bad might happen. It was a beautiful day in Los Angeles – not too hot; the air pollution was low, and the sky was blue and filled with white, puffy clouds.

And then, in an instant, everything changed. Squealing brakes, Hen shrieking, and him having enough sense to shove her out of the way before bearing the brunt of the impact of the car. The coffees went one way, and he went up over the hood and into the windscreen, before bouncing off and back onto the pavement.

The world was fuzzy; his ears were ringing. It sounded like Hen was screaming, but he couldn't really tell what was going on or even open his eyes. He could feel his body – it was still _there_ , though he felt wrong. Something was very wrong.

There was more shouting; and someone leaning over him, saying his name. Asking him to open his eyes. He tried, but he just didn't have the strength – funny, something as simple as opening his eyes and he couldn't do it.

Was this what dying was?

He heard Hen again, her voice clear in his left ear – "I've got you, Eddie. You're going to be okay. I've got you. Don't give up on me, okay? Think about Christopher. Just stay with me."

_Christopher_. Fuck, he couldn’t die. There was no way he could die and leave his son behind – what would happen to him? He'd go back to El Paso with Eddie's parents and have a miserable fucking existence. No Abuela, no Pepa, no Carla, no _Buck_ … god, Christopher wouldn't cope. He couldn't lose both parents.

"Eddie! _Eddie!_ "

Oh god, _Buck._

"Hen!" he heard Bobby shout, as heavy footfalls sounded on the pavement. "I've got the kit; Chim's getting the ambulance! Where's the driver?"

"He ran down that way," Hen replied shakily – she was doing something to him, tearing open his shirt. "He hasn't opened his eyes or responded to me at all – possible skull fracture, internal injuries – god, I don't know." There was another wheezing noise, but it was coming from above him. What the hell was that?

"Buck, calm down. _Breathe._ He's going to be okay," Bobby said, as calm and authoritative as always.

_Buck_. Eddie opened his eyes and looked up at the love of his life, standing with his hands clapped over his mouth, his bright blue eyes full of tears.

"Eddie," Buck said hoarsely.

"Hey," Hen said to him, her voice trembling, brushing her hand over his forehead. "You saved my life, Eddie. Just hold on, okay?"

"Christopher," he said to Buck, in a voice so weak he barely recognised it as his own. "Chris."

"I won't let them take him anywhere," Buck said fiercely. "I promise."

_Good._ Eddie closed his eyes again.

"Eddie, stay with us. Chim's here with the ambulance. You're going to be okay," Bobby said reassuringly – god, was the man ever rattled? He was the most even-keeled person Eddie had ever met. He might have a rib sticking out through his chest and Bobby would be telling him that it was okay.

They fastened him into a neck brace, and he thought how not five minutes earlier he was thinking about drinking his coffee and eating his muffin, and then demolishing Buck at _Mortal Kombat_ , but now he was possibly dying in the street with his family around him. What a day.

He was fading out of consciousness when they loaded him into the ambulance, and the last thing he heard was Buck's voice in his ear – "Don't leave me, please, please don't leave me, Eddie."

And then there was nothing.

~

When Eddie awoke, he was in a darkened hospital room, the lights dimmed but for the one over his bed. There was a low, steady beep from the heart monitor, and he was cold – almost like he was back at Buck's loft with the air-con on too low.

He felt like he was floating on a soft cloud, sort of numb, but there was an undercurrent of pain, like… once the meds wore off, he'd been in for a world of hurt.

To test the theory, he tried to move – total mistake, and he let out a groan. Whoever was sitting in the chair beside the bed let out a surprised gasp and grabbed his hand. "Eddie?"

Buck, of course – he'd thought it might be Pepa or his Abuela, or, god forbid, his parents. He squinted at Buck, clearing his throat. "Time?"

"It's uh, 4am," Buck replied, leaning over him, clinging to his hand. "You were in surgery for a long time, Eds, but you're going to be okay."

"Head." His voice was hoarse; he could hardly speak.

"It's still attached."

_Jokes_ , when he was feeling like he'd been hit by a car – oh wait, he _had_ been hit by a car. "Head," he said insistently, trying to squeeze Buck's hand.

"You have a serious concussion, but no skull fracture, thank god," Buck replied. "You also have a broken hip, some broken ribs, some internal injuries… but you're going to be okay. Your spine is okay and so is your neck. You're so strong, Eds. The doctors mentioned that _a lot_. You did great."

He guessed that was good news. He swallowed, trying to coat his dry throat with saliva, and then rasped out, "Christopher?"

"He's with your Abuela. Your parents are flying out; they'll be here… today sometime."

He made a face at that. "You," he rasped. " _You._ " Fuck, was this a brain injury? Why couldn't he form sentences? Buck had a concerned expression on his face, so Eddie decided to try again. "You… stay with him," he managed to say. "You and Chris."

"At your house," Buck clarified. "Is that right?"

"Uh huh."

"You can tell your parents that, all right? I think they think they're looking after him."

"Mmm. I'll tell them. Hen?"

Buck nodded reassuringly. "She's fine. You saved her life. She'll be here first thing; she waited until after midnight for you to wake up, but Karen made her go home." And suddenly Buck was on the verge of tears, swallowing reflexively, closing in on himself.

"Buck," he croaked helplessly, jiggling his hand.

Buck inhaled shakily. "God, Eds… I've just been… waiting for you to wake up so I can tell you that I'm… so fucking in love with you and I know this is not the right time, but I saw… you in the street today, and all the blood, Eddie…" his breath hitched, and he covered his face with his left hand, clutching Eddie's hand with his right. "And I thought that was it. I thought… you were gonna leave me."

Eddie clutched his hand a little tighter. "Buck."

"And I know we haven't put a label on anything, and you want to keep things quiet because of your family, and I promise I won't do anything while they're here to give you away, but I love you," Buck said in a voice full of devotion, "and I will do anything you want."

What he wanted? Well, before he'd been hit by a car it was to keep things as secret as possible, but now… it was a stark reminder that life was fleeting, and he'd been unhappy for so long. Buck made him and Christopher happy. Should he really keep denying himself out of fear of what his parents would say?

Eddie shook Buck's hand slightly. "Buck. I want you." His voice faded at the end of the sentence, but Buck nodded emphatically. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I love you."

A brilliant smile lit up Buck's face. "You do?"

He bobbed his head. "Love you."

Buck let out a breath, nodding, as if confirming it for himself. "Okay. Good."

"Good." Eddie was feeling sleepy, but he murmured, "Kiss?"

"You want me to kiss you?" Buck whispered, shifting so he was leaning over the bed.

"Mmm."

So Buck leaned over and kissed him sweetly. He tasted like coffee and chocolate, and he whispered against Eddie's lips like a promise, "I love you, I love you – _I love you_."

~

Hen was the first to arrive, just after 8am, with Karen at her heels. She took one look at Eddie and struggled to contain her tears, covering her mouth with her hands. Buck was asleep in the chair beside the bed, drooling, but Eddie had been awake for a while – nurses and doctors had been bustling out, all marvelling at the fact that Buck could seemingly sleep through anything.

Eddie tried to smile at her, but that only made things worse, and she let out a sob and covered her face with her hands, shaking her head, as if trying to deny the reality of the situation. Karen said to him fondly, "You big damn hero. Look at you."

He held up his free hand – the other was still clasped in Buck's – and gave a thumbs up.

" _Eddie_ ," Hen said miserably. "God, you look awful. I'm so sorry."

He shrugged as best he could. "I'm okay."

Karen was the one to lean over and press a gentle kiss to his cheek, brushing her fingers over his forehead affectionately. "Thank you, Eddie."

He smiled as best he could. "Anytime."

"I didn't even see it coming," Hen confessed tearfully, "and you were already pushing me out of the way. They caught the driver, you know – some onlookers chased him down the street and held him custody until the police arrived. He was drunk."

"At 9am," Karen muttered.

Eddie gave a slight nod. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," Hen replied with anguish. "You could've died. God, I was terrified. I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm okay," he confirmed, and tilted his head towards Buck. "He hasn't left. I need him to take care of Christopher. I need you all to stop my parents from taking him, okay? Is that okay?"

"Take him where?" Karen asked with confusion, but Hen was nodding emphatically.

"Everyone is on the way here," she replied. "We'll do whatever you need us to do."

He nodded again, and said nervously, "Hen, Buck's my… Buck and I…"

Hen's eyes flicked to Buck, and a look of understanding crossed her face. "Okay," she said. "All right. Nobody knows, right?"

"No."

"And you don't want your parents to find out?"

"No."

"Okay. Don't worry. We'll figure this out."

~

He had a packed room when his Aunt Pepa and Abuela arrived, Christopher bringing up the rear. Eddie heard the distinctive sound of his crutches on the hospital floor and said hoarsely, "Christopher?"

"Dad!" Christopher shouted, and Buck left his side – for the first time since he'd awoken – and went to pick him up, carrying him over to the bed.

Eddie took one look at his son and had to fight back tears, words caught in his throat. Christopher was clutching Buck, tears in his eyes, reaching out with one hand for Eddie. "Daddy," he whispered.

"Okay, let's give Eddie and his family some privacy," Bobby said, directing the rest of the group to leave the room. "We'll be in the waiting room if you need us."

Buck was the only who remained, sitting on his seat with Christopher on his knee, as close to the bed as possible. Eddie held his hand out, and Christopher leaned forward so Eddie could cup his cheek.

"Oh, Eddie," Pepa said tearfully. "Oh, my goodness."

His Abuela couldn't speak, a handkerchief clutched to her lips, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

Buck said quietly, "He's going to be fine."

Eddie nodded, still focused on Christopher. "I'm okay," he said, as clearly as he could. "I'll be okay. Buck is going to stay at the house with you."

"That's a good idea," Pepa said firmly. "Buck and Carla know the routine back to front. She'll be here soon, Eddie. We called her last night."

He nodded again. "Mom and Dad," he said to Pepa, who grimaced. "Yeah. I know. You know what they're going to do."

"They're already on their way," she replied. "How long are you going to be in hospital?"

Eddie glanced at Buck, who said tiredly, "Over a week. Ten days, maybe more, they said last night, but he'll be in a wheelchair and on bed rest until his hip heals."

Pepa hissed, anguished. "Okay. Buck, they're going to pitch a fit about you."

"About me," he said, glancing at Eddie. "Why?"

"We know how Eddie feels about you," she clarified, gesturing to Abuela. "Even if he's not ready to admit. We know you're practically living together."

Buck's face was pale. He gave Eddie a troubled look, and then said, "We're just friends."

"No," Eddie murmured. "We're not."

"You're in love," Christopher spoke up, Eddie's hand clutched to his chest. "Dad and Buck are in love."

"We know," Pepa replied, leaning on the end of the bed. "Your family here knows, Eddie. It's a well-known secret. Your parents have no idea."

He shared a look with Buck, who said, "We can't talk about this in front of Chris."

Pepa nodded. "But they'll be here today and they're going to ask questions."

"I'll just tell them," Eddie said tiredly, on the verge of sleep again. "I'll just tell them. It doesn't matter."

"Dad," Christopher said insistently. "Daddy, wake up."

"'m here, Chris," he murmured, turning his head to the side. "Not going anywhere."

~

It was a nightmare, but Eddie slept right through it.

His parents arrived to a waiting room full of his friends and the LA side of his family, and immediately asked about Christopher, which raised the ire of his friends and colleagues. When Carla and Pepa took them to the side and informed them that Eddie was going to be fine, but would require significant recovery time, their next question was whether or not Christopher should be allowed to remain in Los Angeles if his father wasn't well enough to look after him.

This statement, overheard by Chimney and conveyed to the rest of the 118, resulted in Carla telling them in no uncertain terms that in terms of Christopher's happiness, stability and his ongoing education, he would be much better off remaining in Los Angeles with Eddie and his partner, Buck.

It was almost as if a nuclear bomb detonated on the waiting room. There was shouting from both sides – his parents lost their minds and began screaming at Carla and Aunt Pepa (and Pepa, who never backed down from a fight, stood there with a snarl on her face and her arms folded across her chest defiantly). Bobby and Athena waded into the battle to try to defuse the situation, but Buck, having heard the commotion from Eddie's room, ventured out into the waiting room and almost directly into a fist fight with Eddie's father. Chimney intercepted and shoved Buck out of the way before a punch could be thrown.

And through it all, Eddie slept, with Christopher curled on the bed beside him, his head tucked under Eddie's chin. Buck returned to the room, closed the door and jammed a chair up against it, collapsing into his seat beside the bed. Muffled shouting crept in, but Eddie and Christopher slept peacefully, with Buck by their side.

~

Eddie's parents effectively cut him out of their life. In fact, after Eddie awoke that day at the hospital, they were already on their way back to the airport. They refused to answer his texts and phone calls; they stopped speaking to Aunt Pepa, who would only mutter, "Good riddance," when the topic was brought up, and they even limited contact with Abuela.

The thing he'd feared the most had come to fruition – he'd lost his parents, and Christopher had lost his grandparents as well, but it was… strangely okay, because they had so many other people rally around them. Eddie was never on his own at hospital – Buck slept in the room with him every single night, while Christopher stayed with Aunt Pepa. Buck would collect Christopher and bring him to the hospital in the morning before school so they could have breakfast together, and then Carla would pick him up and take him to school.

The nurses joked that it was like Buck had moved in – but he wasn't the only one. When the other members of the 118 weren't working they were in and out all the time, keeping him company, making sure that Buck was okay, getting enough sleep and eating properly. They stepped in if Christopher needed to be looked after, and he even had an extended sleepover at Hen and Karen's the first weekend Eddie was in hospital.

After he was released, it was the same deal – they never had to cook, because there was so much food in the fridge. Buck effectively moved in with him and took over as Christopher's caregiver, but it was a group effort – if Hen and Karen were taking Denny and Nia to the park, they'd swing in and pick Christopher up as well. If Buck needed to be at work, Maddie or Carla would be at the house with Eddie, helping him out. When Eddie started rehab, Chimney or Bobby picked him up and came with him regularly to give Buck a break.

Buck was his rock, through everything – all the frustration of being stuck in a wheelchair and in bed, the pain of rehab and the jubilation when things began to improve. Buck went to bat for him with his family, stepping up and making sure that he was in touch with his sisters and cousins, and that it was clear that his parents were the ones with the issue, not Eddie. Buck even tried speaking to them himself, only to be shut down.

Eddie loved him for trying; for constantly remaining optimistic that things would improve. He loved him for taking care of him on the days that he felt the worst, when he didn't want to get out of bed, or change his clothes, or brush his teeth – when everything felt too hard and the world seemed like it was closing in on him, Buck would settle in beside him, flick the television on to a comedy show (or _The Great British Baking Show_ ), hold him close and tell him that he loved him.

The point was that he was terrified of losing his family – and it still tore him up inside, that he was so easily disposable and all because he was in love with a man – but he found that the family he'd chosen when he joined the 118 was the one that was actually willing to step up and stand by him when things were tough, and that lessened the pain, somewhat.

And somewhere along the line, he realised that everything would be okay, that Buck's constant optimism wasn't futile, and that he would walk normally again; he would go back to work, and life would continue, but now… Christopher had a second father, and he had a partner in every sense of the word.

Eddie was happy. Really _happy_ , for the first time in a long time, and god, was he _in love_. Over the moon in love. Stupidly in love. He wished he'd allowed himself to feel it sooner, but he was so grateful to have it when he needed it the most.

And then Buck was behind him at the sink, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck, startling him out of his reverie. He rested his hand on Eddie's still-healing hip and murmured, "How's it feeling today?"

Eddie turned around in his arms, leaning in for a kiss. "Not too bad."

Buck smiled at him, soft and rumpled in the early morning light. "You want to take it easy today? No plans, just hang out here, let me and Christopher do some baking… and just spend all day feeding you?"

He laughed. "Okay. Sounds good."

"Good." Buck kissed his nose, gazing at him affectionately. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, suddenly emotional. "I really love you."

Buck brushed their noses together in silent acknowledgement, and Eddie couldn't wipe the smile from his face, pulling him close, breathing him in. He was home, and everything would be okay.

~to be continued~

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Kat ([cinematicnomad](https://cinematicnomad.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr) for all your help!
> 
> The title is from [Dream Catch Me - Newton Faulkner](https://youtu.be/rE-Why8N2I0)
> 
> Talk to me @ Tumblr: [woodchoc-magnum](https://woodchoc-magnum.tumblr.com/)


End file.
